Highlights
- The 2010s saw a rise in difficult gaming, with players craving challenging experiences reminiscent of their childhoods.
- The Soulsborne genre, led by Hidetaka Miyazaki, dominated the era, inspiring other developers to create equally frustrating boss encounters.
- The resulting games, such as Terraria, Mass Effect 3, and Monster Hunter: World, offer extremely challenging bosses that require specific strategies and skills to defeat.
The 2010s saw a gradual desire from players to return to the difficult gaming of their childhoods, a step away from the convenience and potential ease games could allow in the 21st century. It was an era dominated by the rise of the Soulsborne genre, and as an extension, a fascination with making games enjoyably hard once again.
The Hardest Boss Fights In Dark Souls History, Ranked
The Dark Souls trilogy, developed by From Software, harbors some of the most dangerous and aggressive boss fights in history.
Although Hidetaka Miyazaki's boss battle creations were the pinnacle of difficulty during this decade, many others attempted to create equally memorable (and equally frustrating) encounters. These could take the form of retro-style boss encounters, or modern enemies requiring razor-sharp reflexes.
10 Moon Lord - Terraria (2011)
Appearance Conditions:
- Defeat all four Celestial Pillars
- Use a Celestial Sigil
The final boss of Terraria, Moon Lord, is a version of Cthulu that requires multiple body parts to be attacked and destroyed before he is gone for good. Moon Lord requires the player to pay attention and, critically, shape an arena that will work best for them.
The open-endedness of Terraria's gameplay means one player's strategy won't necessarily work for someone else, and as a result, players have to rely on what they are comfortable with when facing this boss, even if it's not the ideal appraoch.
9 The Mirror-Match Opponents - Mass Effect 3: Citadel (2013)
Appearance Conditions:
- Purchase this enemy from the Armax Arsenal Arena
In a galaxy of Lovecraftian Reapers and xenophobic militias, it seems unlikely that the hardest boss in the final DLC pack for Mass Effect 3 would come from an arcade game, but playing against them in Insanity Mode with all modifiers on can create an extremely difficult (and rewarding) boss fight.
The Mirror Match consists of three waves of enemies modeled after classes the player can pick, armed to the teeth and with the ability to respawn. Against squadmates, they are quick and lethal, and against the player, if not using cover or quickly changing position, are equally challenging.
8 Extreme Behemoth - Monster Hunter: World (2018)
Appearance Conditions:
- Completion of the main story
- HR 16 or higher
When so many difficult boss fights have come from Final Fantasy, it is only fitting that a Monster Hunter: World crossover event offers the most difficult creature battle in the entire game. Players must abandon any thought of doing this fight solo; a full team is absolutely required.
In its most difficult form, Extreme, The Behemoth will one-hit players with almost every attack, but none are as terrifying as Ecliptic Meteor, which will wipe out a party that is too close to the blast zone. For the Extreme Behemoth, every attack is a potential death sentence for the inexperienced or the unprepared.
7 Sans - Undertale (2015)
Appearance Conditions:
- Complete the Genocide path
For the more pacifist Undertale player, fighting Sans is an unlikely outcome given the friendliness he shows the player character. If players seek to kill all life in the Underground, however, Sans will initiate a fight unlike anything else in the game.
Sans can string together attacks at random, attack during the player's turn, and alter the Soul State., to make the gameplay wild and unpredictable. Sans' role as a barrier towards completing the Genocide path is exactly what it seems; a way to punish the player for causing so much destruction.
6 Sigrun - God of War (2018)
God of War (2018)
- Released
- April 20, 2018
- Developer(s)
- Santa Monica Studio
- Genre(s)
- Action , Adventure
Appearance Conditions:
- Complete Chapter 7: The Magic Chisel
- Defeat the eight Valkyries
Facing Sigrun is the culmination of a long and rewarding questline that Kratos can partake in partway through God of War. Defeating the eight Valkyries scattered throughout the realms unlocks an encounter with their queen, who represents one of the hardest challenges in the game.
The 20 Hardest Bosses In God Of War
The God of War series can be challenging at times, especially with bosses. Here are some of the strongest in the franchise.
Sigrun has a wide variety of skills that can be utilized in any order, combining the movesets of the other eight Valkyries, making her an unpredictable and dangerous opponent for The God of War. Combined with her lightning-fast speed and insta-kill abilities, Sigrun is a force to be reckoned with.
5 Absolute Radiance - Hollow Knight: Godmaster (2018)
Appearance Conditions:
- Beat all bosses found in all five Pantheons
The Radiance by itself is a difficult boss, but it is the perfect form, Absolute Radiance, that is nigh-unbeatable. Her attacks are much faster than the former version and require expert timing to dodge, forcing players to pray for an opening.
What adds to the challenge is the endurance required by the fight. There are six stages, and it is only in the fourth stage that players can make use of the Dream Nail. With such grueling requirements, it is fitting that Absolute Radiance is considered the true final boss of Hollow Knight.
4 Isshin, The Sword Saint - Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (2019)
Appearance Conditions:
- Disobey Owl
- Fight and defeat Genichiro, Way of Tomoe, first, and survive
The first challenge in facing Isshin is endurance. Players must win a rematch against Genichiro before facing Isshin immediately afterward. With no other opportunities to heal or rest, this immediately places the player at a disadvantage.
What follows is a culmination of everything the player has learned throughout Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice; Isshin's three phases make use of nearly every style of attack, and there is no simple strategy as there are for the game's other difficult bosses, like The Demon of Hatred. Winning against Isshin is a matter of skill, and focus and nothing more.
3 King Dice - Cuphead (2017)
Appearance Conditions:
- Unlock Inkwell Hell and play "All Bets Are Off!"
Blocking access to The Devil himself, King Dice is a boss that is easy if players are lucky, and tedious if not. King Dice is essentially a marathon of minibosses, ranging from 3 to 9 in total, and he forces players to maneuver carefully to conserve health for Cuphead's final fight.
Reaching King Dice is a mess of screen content and toe-tapping bops that can make it difficult to keep track of what is going on, but it teaches dexterity useful for the final boss fight of the game. That being said, King Dice is a monster opponent, and the only enemy locked at Regular difficulty or higher who isn't a final boss.
2 Orphan Of Kos - Bloodborne: The Old Hunters (2015)
Appearance Conditions:
- Play through The Old Hunters DLC and reach the Fishing Hamlet Coast
The much-feared final boss of Bloodborne's only DLC, The Orphan of Kos heavily punishes opportunist players who wait for the time to strike, and becomes far more difficult if the player brings help, enlarging its health pool and attacking unpredictability.
Nearly Impossible Games Harder Than Bloodborne
Bloodborne is a notoriously difficult game. For players looking for their next challenge, the following games are brutal to beat.
The Orphan of Kos gives players barely any time to rest or recover, attacks with four different debuff effects, and has such a wide range of skills that are performed with such speed that an element of luck is almost always needed to defeat it. Players will just being to get the hang of its first phase, and the second, more powerful phase will emerge.
1 Skolas, Kell of Kells - Destiny: The House of Wolves (2015)
Appearance Conditions:
- Complete "Skolas's Revenge"
Skolas is a boss so difficult that Bungie was forced to nerf him twice. Firstly, he summons a horde of minions with rotating modifiers that caused them to be unpredictably powerful (especially during the 'Arc Burn' modifier), and secondly, players are limited to teams of three.
Bungie responded by first removing Arc Burn as a potential modifier, and when this failed, they cut Skolas' health in half. Although the modern Skolas is nowhere near as monstrous, it is this original form that echoes a challenge of the greatest severity.
